Franklin: Facing Liddell Fits with 205 Title Run

When UFC President Dana White found his promotion in a bind, he
called Rich
Franklin.

In the final week of shooting Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter 11,”
coach Tito
Ortiz had just informed White that he’d need fusion surgery in
his neck and wouldn’t be able to fight rival Chuck
Liddell at UFC 115. Franklin was at home when he received
White’s offer to replace Ortiz.

“There were two questions I had for Dana at the time,” said
Franklin during a teleconference call on Friday. “One, I wanted to
know if Tito was still going to be there -- they hadn’t decided yet
if they were going to kick him off the show. And two, I asked Dana
to check with Chuck and his camp to make sure he was cool with
this. … I knew Chuck really wanted to fight Tito.”

Liddell’s distaste for Ortiz, a man he’s soundly beaten twice
before in the Octagon, has been an ongoing dynamic of their rivalry
since 2003. When White assured Franklin that the 40-year-old
Liddell would handle the switch-up professionally, the former Ohio
high school math teacher packed his bags.

Franklin and Liddell are friendly with each other, so the only true
motivation both hold in this bout is a mutual one -- to move up the
ranks toward a title shot.

A recharged Franklin accepted the assignment on the heels of a
four-month sabbatical from the sport. Following a first-round TKO
loss to Vitor
Belfort in a 195-pound catch-weight bout at UFC 103 last
September, a mentally depleted Franklin opted to take some time
off, even turning down a couple of bouts the promotion offered him
for early 2010.

“The fact was that I was mentally cashed, and when you start coming
in to the gym and the moment you walk in, you’re looking at the
clock and counting down the minutes till the time that you leave,
that’s never a good thing,” said Franklin.

White’s offer came at an opportune time.

“This was about the time frame I wanted to jump back in anyway,”
said Franklin. “I took time off and had the ability to physically
reset and mentally reset, so the timing was perfect.”

Since losing his middleweight crown to reigning champion Anderson
Silva at UFC 64 in October 2006, Franklin has fluctuated
between the 185- and 205-pound UFC divisions. In June 2009,
Franklin earned a unanimous decision over Wanderlei
Silva in a 195-pound catch-weight bout at UFC 99 in Cologne,
Germany. The 35-year-old fighter then made his intentions known to
return full-time to the light heavyweight ranks, where he’d begun
his career in 2000. That plan took a detour when the UFC asked him
to face off against Belfort at 195 pounds, a move made more for the
returning Brazilian than Franklin himself.

“If there was a 195-pound weight division that would be great for
me, but there’s not,” said Franklin. “I’ve always had problems
making weight at 185. It takes a lot of effort for me to do it. At
205, I realized that I’m a taller fighter in that weight
class.”

Facing the former light heavyweight champion Liddell at UFC 115 on
June 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, aligns Franklin for
another title run. After an off-season trip to Seattle with
training pioneer Matt Hume,
Franklin said he completed his nine-week camp exclusively in
Ohio.

“That’s my plan (to stay at 205), but honestly, I didn’t plan on
coming into the position I’m in now, coaching the show and fighting
Chuck,” said Franklin. “Pretty much, I’m just the type of person
that does what the UFC needs. … My plan is to just stay (at 205).”